Deal For O'neal Starting To Look Like A Steal

ETHAN J. SKOLNICK Commentary

April 26, 2009|ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

MIAMI — No fist-pumping. No flexing. No screaming.

Just nodding.

Yes, he can.

Yes, he still has something left.

Yes, Jermaine O'Neal can help this team.

The Heat center's nodding started after he got back to the bench, which came after he grabbed his 10th rebound, after he scored his 22nd point and after the head-shaking Hawks called timeout in response.

That nodding was a sign that O'Neal was enjoying himself. That's been a rare sight, something that even his brother Clifford pointed out to him earlier this week.

"I haven't really done that," O'Neal said of celebrating while with the Heat, "because I didn't feel as comfortable."

Now, after a 107-78 victory, the Heat is in a more comfortable position against Atlanta, leading 2-1 in the series. And on a night in which all of Erik Spoelstra's starters scored in double figures, led by Dwyane Wade's 29, O'Neal's contribution deserved special mention.

"This is why you make a deal like that," Spoelstra said of O'Neal's February acquisition from Toronto. "When the game slows down in the playoffs and you need to have a post presence, this is his value. It's not like he's finished."

So the evaluation of the deal isn't, either. But it certainly looks better now than it did a month ago. For a while, he seemed like the least valuable of the five assets acquired from the Raptors for Shawn Marion - behind the cap space, the first-round pick, the trade exception and Jamario Moon. That was especially true considering O'Neal's $23 million cost next season.

In 27 games with the Heat, O'Neal scored at least 20 points only twice, and grabbed at least 10 rebounds only twice. Everyone knew that, at age 30 and with balky knees, O'Neal wasn't the same guy who scored 37 against the Heat in a playoff game here five years ago. Butmost expected more.

And he has sensed that disappointment.

Before Game 2 and after Friday's practice, he spoke at length about what he could contribute. He said he understood that the Heat won't be in position to drastically alter its offensive game until the offseason, but that he was "human" and "sometimes you get frustrated, you do want low-post catches." Not just to score, but to pass.

Saturday, he was active from the start on both ends. He blocked Joe Johnson twice. He posted up Zaza Pachulia, waited for Wade to streak down the lane and fed the All-Star for a vicious dunk. He tallied 10 points and five rebounds by halftime. Then, in the second half, he took Al Horford to school. He swept to the middle for a baby hook, swished a pull-up jumper and boxed him out to draw a foul, all in the first 85 seconds.

"Offensively, he is playing a very patient, aggressive game," Spoelstra said. "He is doing both things at the same time. That really is helping us balance out our game."

That post-up presence is keeping the Heat from taking a lot of challenged jumpers. And it presents the thin, restless, erratic Hawks with a major dilemma. Before the game, Hawks coach Mike Woodson expressed concern that O'Neal had found his sweet spot too easily in Game 2. In Game 3, it got worse, and that got Woodson thinking about new strategies.

"Jermaine has been the problem, in terms of us having to double-team and then trying to get to shooters," Woodson said. "He made plays."